#story time: i was inspired by a moodboard someone did and wrote a fic about it with their permission

[the-marathon-continues-nip]

I think it's valid to feel uncomfortable and then decide to not give permission going forward for fanfic of your fanfic. Would you be okay with other transformative works such as art, podfics , mood boards?

It's okay to feel one way about something (flattered like you said!) and then when confronted with the reality realize it's not what you thought it would be and a let down. 🩵

How can you learn from this? What feelings were there that caused you to accept and what feelings are there now that you feel disappointed?

It's a lot that you can learn about yourself which is a pretty cool thing!

This is more of a question for the fanfic author community at large. Recently I had someone tell me they were writing a fic based on my fic. I was obviously flattered by it. But when their fic was posted, it was basically a re-write of exactly what I'd written. And that made me feel uncomfortable, because my story was a very specific AU. I know in fandom/fanfic anything goes and people are free to do what they want. Who am I to say 'no you can't write this'? I brushed it off and let it go. But it just got me internally asking: what are some rules of decorum around fics inspired by other fics? Can I as an author say it made me uncomfortable? If author A is writing something based on author B's work, is it expected for author A to tell author B about it? I welcome any other discussion on this topic that I didn't cover in my questions because I'm curious to see what others think! Thanks!

I'm not going to lie to you, anon, this one can be a bit of a minefield.

There's a tradition? (if that's the right word) in fandom of asking permission before writing a work inspired by someone else's fanwork.

While we don't do this with the creators of canon, we also don't share a community with the creators of canon. In fandom spaces, everyone knows everyone to a certain degree. This might be less true now that fandom has exploded in popularity in recent years, but even so.

I personally love when someone writes something inspired by my work, and I've written a few fics inspired by others too. It's part of that community sharing that I value so much in fandom.

But the minefield comes in when the original fan author feels like the "inspired by" fic is a little too close to their own.

Emotions can be fraught in online spaces where tone is hard to convey over text and there tends to be an assumption of the worst motives and interpretations rather than the best.

You're definitely well within your rights to feel uncomfortable about what that other person wrote. I'm not going to tell you that your emotions are wrong or unfounded. In fact, I'd likely feel the same way if I were in your place.

What you do about that feeling is your own decision to make. Do you just sit on it and hope it goes away? Do you reach out to that other author and say something about it? Do you just vent to a friend and get it out that way?

Folks who have had similar experiences, share what happened if you're willing. From either A or B's perspective.

[bvidzsoo]

bvidzsoo's tumblr wrapped, 2024

tagged by the lovely @sorryimananti-romantic thank u! <3

2024 review

I've been writing for a very long time now, since I was like thirteen I'm not even joking, but 2024 was the year where I pumped out story after story, and I think it was also my most inspired year. I really loved creating so much and I wish time was more lenient with me so that I could write even more lol, but I've entered the 'real life' now and I'm sure updates and new stories will come slower from now on, sigh. My readers and mutuals definitely made the year more colourful and exciting, so thank you for the love and support you have shown me on here!

I'll try to wrap up my on-going stories this year, but I write for what I feel most inspired for, so I really cannot promise anything...

total statistics of 2024

no. of fics: 42 total wc: 533.4k (what would I do without my maths genius, thank you Mina! <3) no. of wips: 10 (and I keep getting ideas, sigh...)

genres explored in 2024

tbh, everything, I have really been the most creative this year, huh...from royal to dark fantasy, to gore and dystopian, to very fluffy and romance related stuff, heavy on crime and gore, action and thriller, plenty of supernatural too? yeah, I think this is it...

first fic of 2024: Who am I?

posted: january 10th

pairing: gangster/mafia!yunho x female reader

comments: this whole story is a 'joke' (it isn't actually), I started writing it on a whim, very randomly, without constructing an actual plot for it like I do all the time...with this one, I had a few outlined ideas and I just went with them lol...it was a funny experience because I cannot remember the last time I wrote anything so unplanned and unorganised (I think the story isn't bad tbh despite it)

longest fic: Preying on you tonight

posted: march 31st

pairing: werewolf!mingi x vampire!female reader

comments: man, I got the idea for this in the funniest way...I remember being in lecture and someone had a presentation in which they used Twilight as a reference, then Jacob was brought up later, and the truth is that I hate werewolf stuff/lore/fantasy LMAO, so I figured huh...what if a vampire (since I'm a vampire girlie) gets imprinted on by a werewolf she hates?? and since Halazia!Mingi will be forever iconic and I've always wanted to write something with him..tadaa, here's this gem that I still love very much lol

last fic: Is Santa the new Cupid?

posted: december 25th

pairing: hongjoong x female reader

comments: it was my first time partaking in any writing event and I so excited to write this! especially when I saw who I was writing for, hehehe...at the time I was also feeling super unwell due to a sudden health issue (which I'm still struggling with, sigh), so it took my mind off things a bit...before speaking to Kat, I had Seonghwa in mind as the lead, but she chose our Captain, so...the story came to life hehe

top 3 most popular fics of 2024

Preying on you tonight

comment: I'd like to add this bit since I've already talked about it...I certainly did not expect it to blow up this much, I didn't think people would enjoy this so much lol...but I'm grateful!!

The trace of you

posted: december 5th

pairing: psychiatrist!yunho x patient!female reader

comments: I watched the series Alias Grace and kind of became obsessed with it for a few days, so, uhm...this story came to life and it seemed very fitting to have Yunho as the male lead, so yeah...I had a lot of fun exploring their characters while trying to keep the essence of the series as well...but also giving it a shadow of mystery, I suppose

Obliviate Me

posted: july 29th

pairing: dark/evil!seonghwa x female reader

comments: if you look at the moodboard, you'll see the picture in the middle, yup, I was inspired by that one picture...when I saw it, I just knew I had to write something...I like Harry Potter a lot, and ig confession time: I'm obsessed with Tom Riddle's era and just his whole lore and such, hence his huge presence in the oneshot lol

Ariadne's personal picks

Marionette

posted: july 17th

pairing: Aphrodite's son!yeosang x Hera's daughter!female reader

comments: honestly, this whole Greek series I have created I'm obsessed with, but out of all the written drabbles, Yeosang's part is just >>> to me, I had so much fun writing this and I just genuinely love the plot I created, it's dark and twisted and not something I usually write...I wish more people would've liked it tho, sigh (also tmi, but all the titles in the series are taken from Red Velvet songs, wink)

Haunted me, haunting you

posted: september 23rd

pairing: victor!mingi x female reader

comments: I love the Hunger Gams like nothing else on this Earth, my thesis was also about the second book and quite frankly, I got this idea while writing my thesis, so...the Mingi in this story is very dear to me, writing him felt so tender and heartbreaking at the same time, I want to protect him from everyone ACK

Daemonium

posted: july 15th

pairing: demon!wooyoung x female reader

comments: man...writing this was a complete humour project to me...the plot was meant to be funny, the MC wasn't supposed to take anything seriously, and Wooyoung was supposed to attempt murder on her at least a dozen of times lmao...so yeah, idk how my humour landed, but I was so excited to write it and also amused by it, it was once again quite different from what I usually write, but I love the supernatural so I was in my element lol

2025 goals

hmm, I think I wish to continue writing like before and I pray I don't get a burn out lol, because I hate those

finish everything that I've started because I hate leaving unfinished stories, it irks me a lot

write more for ao3 since I have a bunch of mxm ideas as well, but ig I prioritise tumblr for now

I'll tag: @hongjoongspoetry @kitten4sannie & anyone who wants to do this! ^^

[peaceisadirtyword]

Summer in Kattegat

Hello!! Finally I can show you what I’ve been working on for the past two months 🥰 This was an idea I had for Christmas, but I didn’t have time to do it and I realized there was too many fics to fit them in 2 weeks, so I decided to do it for summer instead, there's more time and it kind of fits the vibe much better in my opinion! 

please don’t judge me I literally did this at 4am

And what’s the idea? While writing my fic for the Vikings Big Bang, I found a notebook I have where I wrote short stories inspired by Taylor Swift songs (I just reimagined the story she was telling in narrative). I reread them and even wrote a few more. I thought it would be nice to share them with someone so I turned them into fanfics! And all of them have certain similarities: they’re set in a Modern!AU, in which Kattegat is a small city in southern Norway during summer. There’s different stories with different plots and all of them have an ending. For now I'm writing for Ivar, Hvitserk and Ubbe, but I do have an idea with Björn and I might manage to find another one for Sigurd. And all of them are reader insert (sorry! I know most of you hate it, but I really didn’t have time to create an OC for each story😭) 

And all of them will have very ugly moodboards made by ME! did you see what I did there? like the one you can see up there 😭

Does this mean I won’t post anything else during this summer? Nope. I still need to post an one shot called Deal which is an Ivar&Hvitserk/Reader (👀), I need to continue Back To You and other series and I might drop other things too!

Can someone else post things for this project too? Absolutely🥺 In fact, I thought of making this a challenge, but I didn’t want it to flop😭 So I’m giving you all the chance to post your own Summer in Kattegat works! Whether it’s art, fics... Anything! There’s only one rule: it has to be set in summer (vikings era, modern or any other AU you’d like). That’s it! When you post it, I’ll add it to the main masterlist! 

When and how often am I going to post? If everything goes well tomorrow I will post the first one. I still don’t know whether it will be Ubbe/Reader or Hvitserk/Reader, whichever I finish editing first! And I will try to post very often! I have a couple of trips planned for this summer so I’ll make sure to leave them scheduled in case I can't post!😌

Am I back to writing? Yes, I think so😭 I’m not going to lie, I had some rough months and I thought ugly things :( suddenly I didn’t want to write, read, watch films or series, go out with friends... I only wanted to stay in bed all day, and I practically had to force myself to do things, which left me exhausted. I was a bit burnt out and I realized I had to stop for a while before I ended up hating it. Until now! I can’t say whether I’m fine or not because it depends of the day, but I’m much better than I was three months ago. I had time to process everything, including my surgery, the treatment (which is being a nightmare tbh), all the changes in my life... So yeah, it’s a start!

Do I love Ivar with my entire heart? Yes.

I don’t know what else I can say! The titles for the three firsts fics are Enchanted (Ubbe), Style (Hvitserk) and The Way I Loved You (Ivar). These will be the first ones I post🥰 

I’ll shut up now! Thank you if you read all of this, I hope there's at least one person excited about this! That’s more than enough for me❤️ See you tomorrow! 

BTW! the taglists: I’ll use the ones I already have, but if you want to be tagged in this project specifically just tell me!🥰

THANK YOU AGAIN💕

[choicesficwriterscreations]

550 Followers: Meet The Writer

Welcome to another Meet The Writer Q&A! We reached 550 followers! Yay! We’re grateful to all of you who continue to share your work with us and support the fanfic authors of the fandom. As usual, a writer was randomly selected to share a little something of their work with us. Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff!

Blog: @monsoonblooms12

Name (or petname): Manamee

Birthday: 12th April  

Nationality: Indian

Current residency: India  

Languages you speak: English, Hindi, Bengali

Masterlist/AO3: Masterlist | AO3

1- Is there a meaning behind your url name?

Not really. One day I was googling Instagram usernames and this one caught my eye. I tweaked it up a bit to fit me and having using it as my username on various platforms since.

2- When did you start playing Choices? What's the first book you played? 

It was actually in mid 2019 but I wasn't much of an active player. I started playing more frequently during the lockdown. The first book I read was The Royal Romance, Book 1.

3- When did you decide to join Choices fandom?

Because I was enamoured by the fics I had been reading and wanted to find more writers and creators whose works I can enjoy. I had begun reading fanfiction related to choices during one of my lowest times, when everything seemed out of my control. And the works I read got me through my tough times. So I also wanted to give back in some way and chose to make an account.

4- Go back to your archive and tell us what was your first post on your Choices blog was about.

It was my first moodboard! I made one for the TRR MC

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I began in August last year. I was inspired by the amazing works all around me and thought of finally taking a dive into it.

6- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it or would you change anything about it?

It was the first part of my first Open Heart Series, Detectives by Chance: Chapter 1: Notes in Scarlet. There are some parts of it that I like, while other parts not so much. But honestly, it was the beginning of a journey of constantly learning to improve myself which would have never happened if I didn't write it. So as much as I dislike some of the parts, I wouldn't want to change anything about it.

7- What are your favorite Choices books to write about?

Open Heart. And honestly, that's all I have written about since the beginning 😆

8- What is your specialty as a fanfic writer?

If I have to answer, I will go for fluff. Not speciality really, but I feel that my angst is never really angsty and fluff has become a bit of a strong point for me. So, yeah.

9- If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Fluff, because a) My heart cannot take too much pain and b) Fluff is the only thing that I feel I can write well

10- Do you ever recognise yourself in what you write?

Yeah. I tend to put pieces of myself, my culture, my likes and dislikes, both in my MC and in my stories. And it brightens my day when people like my inclusion of those.

11- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Writing itself. And also the self-deprecation that comes when you are writing something, always feeling that no one will ever like what you write, or that there are numerous writers better than you, and your stories will never be as good as theirs.

12- Is there any neglected work of yours you wished you would finish?

It's my series, In sunshine & In shadow. I began it as an ambitious project last year, only to give up after the 1st chapter. I have it outlines, and I definitely wish to get back to it someday.

13- If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them?

If yes, what would you recommend they read first? I might, it depends on who asks. I would ask them to read my fic, Eumoiriety first, because it is one of my favorite things that I have ever written.

14- Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

I have always looked up to authors like Agatha Christie when it comes to crafting mysteries, or to authors like Ruskin Bond when I want to take a lesson of how to make a fic simple yet significant. And talking about fanfic writers, there have been many who have influenced me in some way or the other. But I would like to mention about those whose works inspired me to write for the first time: @bbrandy2002, @drethanramslay and @jamespotterthefirst (Thank you, you guys❤)

15- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Detectives by chance! Mostly because it's a mystery and I would love to see the drama unravel on the silver screen.

16- Do you write original stories?

I haven't...yet. I just might do it someday, who knows? 

Thanks for reading! Reblog to share your appreciation for  @monsoonblooms12​

[riggerbison]

fanfiction writer appreciation: skamverse edition

writing can sometimes take a lot of work out of us but it’s also such a beautiful thing and sometimes, it doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. so, if you see this and you aren’t tagged, i want you to know that you are an amazing writer OR if you are a reader and aren’t tagged, but would like to spread the love to the writer’s YOU enjoy, do it! DO IT! spread all the love. i know all the writers of all fandoms (not even limited to the skam fandom) would love to hear from those who read their fics.

tagged by @yasminaselamrani , thanks for the tag brenna! i love to show support to any lovely content creators and writers are as much of apart of that as anyone.

if you’re a writer:

a fic that you’re really proud of:


the only fic that is currently posted is love is the tuesdays, and while i am proud of it because it’s been years since i’ve written an actual fanfic..will likely say i’m more proud of the wip i am doing.

a fic that you were nervous to post:

oh i was definitely nervous to post love is the tuesdays as i mentioned i’d been a while since i had written a fanfic and i always feel weird trying to write canon characters because i’m so afraid i won’t capture their characterization in the right way. also i was writing it based off this moodboard so i wanted it to be what everyone was looking for. however, as per usual like the clutch friend liz is she calmed me down.

a fic you wished got more hits/kudos/comments:

sometimes i feel like a dick saying this because it can come across like i’m not appreciative of people’s interest/compliments in stuff i do but it’s really not that. however, tbh, you’re never going to hear me complain about any feedback or lack thereof on anything i do. (other people’s things on the other hand...yes show them all the love please!) when it comes to me though ANY (even if it’s just liz screaming at me about it) is more than enough for me. i do everything for fun or just to get it out of my head so having even just one person enjoy it, i’m all good with that. so the comments/kudos/people interested in what i wrote/write, just thank you for showing any at all and as long as it makes one person’s day - i’m happy.

one of your favorite tropes to write:

despite me writing a completely fluffy domestic fic, i’m actually an angsty bitch. so i love writing enemies-to-lovers.... also love reading it. 

another ship that you don’t write but you’d like to write:

if i had the time and an actual idea, i would love to write an elu fic but alas i have neither.

one of your abandoned wip you never wrote but wish you did:

i mean it’s not technically abandoned per say but i have an au that i literally have saved as an ‘au i’ll never write’ because i’m not putting the pressure on myself to write it. but i wish again i had the time to write it because i definitely like the idea.

another writer you would love to collaborate with:

@hidden-joy...while i love the rest of you and you’re all so damn talented, it takes a certain chemistry and level of comfort to be able to write with someone.

if you’re a reader:

a fic (or more) that you love to reread:

hands down my comfort fic is save us by @luxandobscurus caro really has a way with words and it has such a good level of angst as well as fluff. i cry every single time. there’s also a little drabble called half of who i am isn’t all my fault by her as well that i reread all the time.

tag an author you always love reading:

obviously caro (kind of mad i didn’t realize you posted your fwb fic. like where have i been???) but also @surrealsunday i’ve read pretty much every single fic of jamie’s as well. there’s still times where my mind thinks of mood tattoo and i will just say ‘fucking jeremy’ and i’ll have a good laugh. from the wtfock fandom @sonderthroughthestreets, @foxsake5, & @yasminaselamrani, love reading everything they write as well.

recommend a story to your followers:

as brenna said, yall really should read @tsjernobyl’s sobbe’s dirty dancing au as once i started reading i couldn’t stop. it’s so dfskjkdjk good, excited to read the next chapter. another fic i really love and recommend that i haven’t spoken about is one call away by @demaury as i said i’m angsty bitch.

tag an author you discovered recently:

i wouldn’t say i discovered recently because i had read one of @kissjane‘s fics before but i have been making my way through the rest of her fics i haven’t read yet. and i have been having a good time with it 💛

spread the love!

tag someone who inspires you to write:

probably going to be a broken record but @hidden-joy, biggest support and biggest inspiration. but i really admire all of the authors i have mentioned and they inspire me to be a better writer as well.

tag someone who you’ve admired forever:

@demaury, @surrealsunday, @sonderthroughthestreets​, @earthlingeliott​, @lucasotteli (one of the best social media aus that i have read), @yasminaselamrani, @luxandobscurus

tag your writing support and loves!

@hidden-joy... she’s really the only one i talk to about my writing and obviously she’s the most supportive person on the planet. though i do apprecaite the feedback that @luxandobscurus, @sanderxrobbee, and @sonderthroughthestreets have given so far, though. also really anyone who’s left a comment on ao3 or come to DM me. seriously i give you a kisseth on the forehead. i promise i am going to finish that last chapter...eventually.

tagging:

everyone who has already been tagged in this, @unhappilysane, @letisnotonfire , and since i don’t know who else is a big fic reader if you see this and liked to do this than i tag you.

[amphipodgirl]

Writer Tag Game

Thank you for tagging me @captain-aralias !

I tag @sillyunicorn @omgcmere @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @palimpsessed @aristocratic-otter as well as the people I mention in my answers below -- but only if you’re in the mood.

how many works do you have on AO3? 20, split between two accounts (one nsfw, one sfw)

what’s your total AO3 word count? 151,533 since March 2020

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they? 4 that I’ve really written something for -- Carry On (the vast majority of my fics); For Real by Alexis Hall; the Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall; and Docile by K.M. Szpara. There are also two that I’ve only tagged in crossovers -- the Book of Exodus and Mark Steel’s in Town.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

Parent-Teacher Association

Soul Bands

Bonfire Night

Coffee 

Mi Chamoca (Who Is Like You)

They’re all SFW Carry On fics.

do you respond to comments, why or why not? Almost always! I love love getting comments and want to at least thank the person for taking the time. Sometimes they say something more detailed about my fic and then I get to natter on for a while, which is fun. My favorite thing is exchanges of detailed comments and responses, whether it’s my fic or someone else’s. I have a lovely friendship that started with me writing thousands of words of comments on someone else’s fic as it came out chapter by chapter.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I only write happy endings.

have you ever received hate on a fic? No, I’m glad to say!

do you write smut? if so what kind? Oh yes! There’s almost always a D/s element of some kind. The biggest exception is my recently-published What Love Sounds Like -- canon (Docile) is almost all non-con and dub-con and the fic is all about the characters trying to build a functional, equal, consensual relationship and even consensual D/s would be very challenging for them because of their history. Most of my smut is pwp, but I’ve recently starting having more of a story. Serves Me Right had some plot, though it was still all about the relationships. What Love Sounds Like has a tech/business plot thread and some family and friend relationship stuff in addition to the smut and the romance plot thread. It’s my longest fic to date and I’m very proud of it. Tasting Menu is my favorite PWP.

have you ever had a fic stolen? not that I know of

have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet. 

I will add a question here:

what about other related works (podfics, spinoffs, remixes, art, etc.)? When I wrote I’ll Melt With You, @xivz did a podfic and @kirito-potter did art at my request -- it was a group birthday project for @peachpit-gabe. @knitbelove wrote a fic inspired by Mi Chamocha and @knitbelove and @super-duper-twelve both did unsolicited art for it. I’ve also commissioned art by @peachpit-gabe for a few of my fics. I highly recommend commissioning art if you can afford it -- it feels so good to have your stuff made into pictures, and it’s a good way to support fan artists. It can draw new readers, too.

have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I’d be open to it.

what’s your all time favorite ship? That I’ve actually written? Right now I’m all about Alex/Elisha from Docile. I also really love Arden/Caspian from the Arden St. Ives books, but even though I’ve written a fic for the series, it wasn’t those two. I’ll always have a soft spot for Snowbaz; Carry On was my first real fandom. I love love love reading Pynch (Raven Cycle) but haven’t written any. And I’ve adored Spuffy for decades.

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I’ve started a sequel to PTA called The Longest Time. I really love that AU and their story cries out for more, but Carry On is really not my focus any more.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I could do small amounts in a language I knew (Hebrew, French, and maybe Spanish) but honestly I don’t see the point -- most readers won’t understand it.

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written? God, that’s a hard question. If I *have* to pick just one, I guess Mi Chamocha? But I really love What Love Sounds Like, PTA, Soul Bands, Serves Me Right, and Bonfire Night too.

I’m gonna add another question because I want to answer it:

Do you ever make anything else for your fics? (art, playlists, moodboards, banners, etc.) I’ve done moodboards for a couple of fics, and I do banners for most of them. I’m not artistic or musical enough for art or playlists. I did detailed author’s notes for Mi Chamocha.

And I’m adding this mostly to see my friends’ answers:

What fic was hardest to write? Mi Chamocha was my first really long fic and had some thorny consent issues that gave me writer’s block for a while. And I thought that the double fake-dating plot in Bonfire Night was going to make my head explode -- but then I bought Scrivener and things got easier.

[ourstarscollided]

jatp fanworks appreciation - day 3 (wips)

wip wednesday - I didn’t think I wanted to join in on this day for my own stuff considering I’ve never posted anything original for this fandom, but I think this might just be the little boost I need from myself to actually finish the wips that I have sitting around. I am peer pressuring myself and holding myself accountable by posting this - or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Most of the past 6 mths has just been me screaming to no one in a Google Doc, so here are some things I’ve been ruminating about over the last 6 months (and if my secret agenda is to get other people to write about it so I don’t have to? Then that’s between you and me).

Everything’s under a read more because I like giving context and that usually spirals out of control!?!?

If you would like to see more from any of the below, feel free to shoot me an ask/message and I can definitely share some more! (Or you can just come yell at me about JATP in general.)

Strangers Fake Dating AU // Julie x Luke

I’m a simple person. I see a prompt, I latch onto it, and then I completely miss the entire point of the prompt as my imagination goes wild for no real reason. This really was supposed to be a super short drabble, but it manifested into a 3k+ thing that isn’t even finished.

Julie’s not really sure what she’s supposed to do now. Nothing has ever prepared her for a situation in which she’s supposed to pretend to be a stranger’s girlfriend, especially if that situation involves parents. Does she continue this ruse? Can she come up with a quick enough excuse to tell this Luke character that she actually can’t stay? What if this is just all an elaborate plan to kidnap her? Has she been listening to too many true crime podcasts? Why does Luke smell so good? Does he know how to cook? Why does his shirt not have sleeves? What-

“I can hear you thinking from here.” Her head whips up at the sound of Luke’s voice, which is now at a whisper and kind of frantic. “I just- I just really needed to get my mom off my back, so I kinda need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. Just for the night. I swear I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

Julie studies Luke’s face and it’s nearly impossible to not cave under his gaze, which can only be simply described as ‘puppy dog eyes’. She finds herself smiling back, letting out a huff, “I hope you like lasagna.” And the grin that spreads across the boy’s face is enough for her to know that he’s incredibly relieved that she agreed.

“I’m Luke by the way. Luke Patterson.”

(Okay, he’s kinda cute. And no one this cute is a serial killer. Right?)

She gives a small smile back, “I’m Julie.”

//

5+1 alive!Juke AU // Julie x Luke

Inspired by paper - LANY

This is one of the first things I ever felt the urge to write down back in September because I love exploring the idea of how two people can appear to be the perfect relationship on the outside, but are actually fighting their own demons. Especially when it comes to celebrities and people who are in the spotlight. It’s basically a 5+1 fic about the moments from other people’s perspectives who happen to orbit around Julie/Luke that all revolve around paper. My outline for this is so long because I can’t manage to narrow it down, and there’s zero cohesiveness but I do have little things jotted down.

“Hey little man,” Luke’s knelt down to match his 5 year-old height, and a hand extends out to him for a high five, “What are you doing here?”

His eyes flicker to the left, towards his own apartment door, where his mom is giving him an encouraging nod. “ I- I just wanted to-” he stutters and finds himself looking at his feet as he shuffles back and forth on the spot. “I- I drew you guys something!”

He shoves the paper out towards the older boy in front of him, but doesn’t look up.

//

Reincarnation AU // Julie x Luke

I had a random thought in December about how magical it is that Julie and Luke are so tied to one another that their love transcends time and space, which will always lead them back to one another. I remember reading a book a long time ago about how the main character is fated to die at a certain age, and that kind of sparked this little idea. I can’t bring myself to actually plot out every single timeline right now, but I did manage to write a little bit.

It will never be as complex as Rosie’s idea and all the wonderful additions in the link here, and I don’t really plan on it being anything more than a small idea. But I really do still think someone should write some sort of reincarnation AU cause I’d hop on that so fast!!

“Okay- that’s not- Luke. You seriously just ran away?”

“What was I supposed to do Alex? We all know how this ends.”

His friend looks at him, face painted in understanding and he sighs, “Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

Because it’s true, Alex does know, so does Reggie and Bobby. Most importantly, so does Luke. It’s the exact same tragic love story every time.

Call it a curse or fate or destiny. Maybe it’s because Mercury is in retrograde. Whatever. It always ends the same way - with a heartbreaking goodbye, a whisper of the promise that they’ll find each other again, and the possibility of a happy ending. He’s said the same goodbye at least 734 times, but it’s not like he’s counting or anything. Fuck the universe and its mystical ways.

//

Competitive Alex // Alex x Willie

No real thoughts or reasons for this other than I just think I self-projected my need to play board games with people in real life into a fic. And maybe a little bit of my competitiveness onto Alex and then threw in Willie because I think he would be able to handle it while also finding it endearing. I also have written nothing about the actual competitiveness, it’s just 2k words of Alex crushing on Willie.

“Wait,” his eyes dart between the three boys, “You both know Willie? How come I’ve never met him?”

His roommates look at each other, and there’s a smirk on Luke’s face when he says, “Actually Alex, I think you have. Remember that time you got really drunk after one of our shows?”

Oh no. He really hopes that it’s not the time he’s thinking of, so he tries to sound nonchalant. “You’re going to have to be more specific, Luke.”

“The night we played at that tiny bar at the edge of the campus! We got paid in those tiny colourful shots?” He doesn’t really know where Luke is going with this, so he’s slowly nodding along. “And you were super upset that the hot dog vendor at the end of the street was closed?”

//

Dear Julie, Love Mom series

I made myself sad with this thought when I first watched the show and was talking to my friend about how I think that Rose would’ve left messages for the Molina family, especially when we found out that Wake Up was actually from her mom. I wrote a bigger explanation for it here.

Anyways, I started with the one for Julie’s wedding and it kind of became an 8k monster with three different POVs?!? As much as I love how I wrote this, I feel too unsure about my writing to share it in full, so you will get carefully selected looks alkfe. (I’m also kind of stuck on some of the more emotional scenes and I may or may not have procrastinated by photoshopping a moodboard for it.)

Excerpt 1 (Julie POV): A look into where I’m going with this whole letters from Rose thing.

The key clicks into place, and with a turn, the latch falls open. She’s not sure what she wants to find in the box, and she’s too scared to think about it really. All she knows is that this was the sign from her mom that she was waiting for all week, and in true Rose fashion, her mom had managed to give it to her, even if at the last second. Her dad turns the box to face Julie, and gestures to her to open up the lid.

Tucked inside is a VHS tape, the words ‘For Julie, on your wedding day’ written in her mom’s cursive on the cover. Some loose glitter and confetti fall back into the box as she reaches in to pick up the tape and turn it over in her hands. There’s a little purple butterfly etched on the back, the same one that’s been drawn on all the other messages that her mom had left her. Her finger automatically finds its way, tracing the shape of the small doodle.

“Do you want me to leave you alone, mija?”

Excerpt 2 (Julie POV): This part has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot of the story, but it self-inserted itself into this fic after @tangledstarlight and I talked about You’re Still the One by Shania Twain being their first dance. This whole scene came to me at 4am one night and might be the most self-indulgent thing I’ve ever written.

They knew that when they had asked Reggie to be in charge of the first dance performance, that they (and Alex) weren’t allowed to veto any of his ideas. Luke had warned Julie that that would be a mistake, but the giddiness that radiated off of Reggie when she had told him he could have free reign was worth it. She just hadn’t thought that he would actually take it to heart and run with it.

Sure, they had chosen You’re Still the One by Shania Twain as their first dance song, and sure it was more or less a country song, but she didn’t really imagine that she’d be staring at her adoptive brother, Carlos and her Dad wearing cowboy hats and boots at her wedding. They had somehow managed to ditch their Flynn-approved suit jackets and were sporting a taupe-coloured suede-textured vest over their dress shirts. If she looked closely, she could see that they had somehow also found some gaudy looking bolo ties with a matching set of ornamental clasps to wear. When she envisioned her wedding, she really didn’t expect that her first (public) dance as a married couple would be a full-on Western themed occasion. The only exception was Alex, who had settled on his cajon in the back, still in his pink suit, eyes rolling when she met his gaze. But even she knew how there was no real annoyance in the blonde’s reaction or else he wouldn’t also be wearing one of the tacky ties around his neck as well.

“I’m gonna seriously kill him.” She hears Luke grumble under his breath, only low enough for her to hear. But she’s still too busy giggling to actually be mad, and she knows that Luke isn’t really going to kill Reggie. At least she doesn’t think so.

Excerpt 3 (Luke POV): Idk man. My mind went “What about Luke?” and I said “You’re right!! What about him?!?”

He doesn’t realize that he’s just been silently staring at the woman in front of him, until a gentle voice breaks him out of his thoughts. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Julie’s peering at him from under her eyelashes, a curious look on her face.

“You just-” he gives a little shake of his head, trying to come up with the right words. He wants to tell her she’s beautiful. Stunning. A wicked beauty. But she’s more than that - she’s almost angelic. “I can’t believe you’re my wife.”

“Luke, we’ve been legally married for like, a whole year.” Her lips are quirked up in a grin, amusement in her voice. “You’ve only just realized that now?”

“That’s different.”

“Yeah? Different how?”

This feels a little strange to post and a little like my inner self seeking validation but let’s not talk about that.

Kskssj anyways present me @ future me: finish one of these because writing has been really cathartic for you and you didn’t think it would bring you so much joy!!!

[she-who-the-river-could-not-hold]

#100daysofwriting | day 091 (+ a few others...)

a daily writing challenge created by @the-wip-project // tagging my fellow writers joining in: @thelittlefanpire, @kinetic-elaboration, @hopskipaway, and @easilydistractedbyfanfic

I have a half-written entry from August 4th where I said I was going to catch up on these. Lo and behold––I did not! Since writing that, I’ve posted two fics. That long-winded Bellarke, Tarzan AU that I wrote about a lot and then my first Kanej fic which was a Harry Potter crossover. I’m really pleased with both of them but they also took a lot out of me! Mixed with visiting my parents for a bit, I’ve not really been writing so this feels like a good excuse to jump back in.

I do miss writing and developing these ideas, but I can feel my interest waning at the moment. Not great since I have to knock out more prompts, so I’m hoping if I focus on organization I can get myself back into a better headspace for writing. My biggest motivation is going to be getting through as much as I can before October (Halloween/my favorite month) and then of course the holidays.

I figure I’ll scroll through and snag a handful of ones to get my brain jump started and then try to get back into the routine! My new goal is to see if I can finish out these prompts on time!

What have you learned on your writer journey that you wish you had learned earlier?

That I can be detail-orientated with it still feeling like a hobby. To let go of the validation of stats and to just post and forget about it. To embrace my interests and to write for myself.

How do you feel about your old works? And bonus homework: say something nice about past-writer-you.

In terms of fanfic, I think they’re too clearly inspired by the way a lot of “younger” (I can’t think of a better word) is written. When you start with primarily G or T ratings in a show geared towards a younger audience, plus an emphasis on fluff, I think it leans a certain way in writing style. That’s not bad! But I quickly realized that wasn’t how I wanted to write. In terms of my writing pre-fandom, I pretty much nailed the angsty creative writing student vibes. I wrote a lot about young girls who had the world taken from them, on the run, or escaping into fantasy. Lots of death and emo-vibes. A lot of it was cringe but tbh�� I miss it sometimes. I had no concern about what other people were interested in! It was pretty raw, even if it was messy, and that’s fun. Note to self: more self-indulgent works!

Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

It’s evolved that way. In terms of fanfic, I started out with the general fluffy ship content. That’s the genre’s bread and butter! But my personal taste is different than that and it didn’t take much for that to start shifting. My zombie AU was what got the most traction to begin with and I still feel like I’m pushing my work to really line up with what I want to read myself. Gray characters, elaborate world building and detail, a plot that’s really developed (even if it’s simple).

I’m not great at keeping up reading published works, and even then I usually stick with whatever my mom’s sent me in the mail which means a lot of historical fiction. I’m most inspired by movies though. So in a way, what I write is what I want to SEE. I aim for readers to feel like they’re watching my stories unfold. I like that most movies just end and that’s it. I like being just dropped into stories and getting to experience it for that limited amount of time. As my writing has evolved, I think I’m getting closer to achieving that with each piece. It does mean my standards are higher, but I’m happier with it. This shit takes a lot of time and I want to feel satisfied with how I’m choosing to use the time I use for writing. I do however really love the horror genre and haven’t found a way to incorporate that into my writing.

What else counts as writing for you?

The planning process to start. Whether it’s strictly outlining, word dumping, or whatever. If it’s randomly writing scenes that won’t show up for chapters. Writing simple, one line bullets that just get the idea across.

Brainstorming visually falls under this as well. Things like Pinterest or any other type of photo saving. Figuring out what the clothing and characters look like, what the settings feel like. What are the vibes? Moodboards are fun but also incredibly useful for nailing the tone and themes that you want to convey. Watching videos that match the story (for AUs) or scenes that you’re going to include (how would someone hotwire a car and then speed away?). Anything that flushes it out in your mind so that when you do sit down to write, the words have already begun.

[falsegoodnight]

hi! i recently picked up writing again and i’m almost done with my first fic (!!!!)

what advice do you have for a new writer to get their work out to other people? i feel like self promo is suuuuper awkward but i have literally no idea what to do lol

(s/o to all of my other awkward writers... join the club)

hi! first of all, CONGRATULATIONS on almost finishing your first fic!! that’s a big deal and i hope you’re proud of yourself! 

as for your question: i’m going to be honest and say it’s really hard to get your work out especially when it’s your first but there are definitely things that help! 

first off: fic posts

this may seem obvious but it’s really important! there are readers that check the newest fics on ao3 when looking for something to read but there’s also so many people that find fics to read from fic posts on tumblr and twitter that are rbed/rted onto their dash/tl. it’s one of the best ways to tell people you wrote a fic and they can read it right now!!

more under cut!

some things to keep in mind:

- moodboards/graphics catch the eye of potential readers and also often give them an idea into what the fic is about. i know it may seem intimidating to make a moodboard (especially if you’ve never done it before) but they can really be as simple or complicated as you like! some general tips are to include the main characters (if this is louis x harry, then include them both), have somewhat of a color scheme, and incorporate other significant elements (can be places, pets, objects, etc) from your story. use other moodboards as inspiration!!

- make sure to have the LINK. this may be self-explanatory but it’s truly so important. if there’s no link then anyone that sees it will have to look it up if they want to read - one more step that may just make them not bother in the first place.

- include important info such as the summary, rating, and word count!! those all help potential readers determine if a fic will be up their alley or not.

also, you can tag accounts on tumblr that will reblog your fic post and expose it to a bigger audience. for a harry/louis pairing, you can tag @/hljournal, @/hlcreators, @/hlsource, and @/yourlarrysource among others i may be forgetting. @/1dsource extends to any 1d-related pairings, and @/tracksintheam is a tag checked by a lot of people too and extends to any sort of created content. @/blouisparadise will rb your fic post if the fic is bottom Louis and/or omega Louis (any pairing). there’s plenty of other accounts that you can look into for tagging but unfortunately only the first five tags will show up when using the search function so you may have the prioritize.

there are also single accounts that will rb your your fic posts if you ask nicely!! just remember that no one is entitled to promote your stuff especially if they don’t know you. i’m pretty sure there’s some lists out there with a lot of people that will boost your fic posts but i can’t remember any off the top of my head!

and this is more so for future projects when you’ve gained a bit more of an audience (even if that audience is three people!! three people who are genuinely intrigued and interested in your writing is incredible!!!) but posting snippets and teasers is a great way to build up anticipation and excitement for fics!! i’ve seen a direct correlation with how many snippets and teasers i share and the reactions when the fic comes out.

involving people through polls, surveys, and requests is something else to consider! i did this with my peach fic most notably and it had the biggest debut of all my fics on ao3!! it can be for anything from side pairings, title ideas, plot directions, or name for pets!! i know i’d definitely feel more like reading a fic if i helped play a role in it somehow!!

(some other little things i do are add a count down to my display name on tumblr from three days to “today!” and also make posts on twitter/tumblr saying i have a fic coming out in a week, etc—)

the main thing to remember is that there’s no shame in self-promo (again, when you’re polite and respectful about it) - self-rb as much as you want, post as many snippets as you can, mention it to your friends, etc.

also just want to take the time to remind you: don’t get discouraged if your fic posts don’t get as many notes as you’ve seen others (often from already-”established” writers or bigger blogs) how many people see or read your fic is never a true indicator of its worth nor is it a judgement on you or your abilities!! there’s so many factors involved with things like this (including time of day when you post, time of day when people who reblog are reblogging, the tropes or themes of your fic— some are more popular than others in this fandom, for better and worse) and what’s most important at the end of the day is the people who do read the fic and enjoy it. not how many of them there are but just the fact that there are. someone, likely many someone’s, are going to adore your writing and be grateful for the story you share!

(i also just want to say that the first fic i ever posted doesn’t have any fic post - okay, it has one random tweet with 14 likes that i posted about four months later - and i wrote and posted the entirety of it without having tumblr and only twitter in the last couple of months and it’s to this date one of my most read fics— sometimes people just find and read a fic by their own accord)

anyways i don’t know if any of this made sense or if it could be qualified as helpful but i hope it is in at least a small way. i wish you all the luck with finishing your fic and posting! again, it’s such an accomplishment to even write something in itself. (feel free to send me the fic post if you decide to post too!!)

[softly-savage-mint-yoongi]

content creator year in review

I was tagged by the ever-delightful @j-pping to do this and I am so touched this is a lovely thing to do :c Thank you so much darling! <3 first creation and most recent creation of 2020: First creation was... according to my archives, I posted the second chapter of Allotrope on New Year’s Day. Most recent creation was...the Allotrope Christmas Special. one of your favorite creations from 2020: Oh! I really, really loved the Robinhood AU I wrote for @guardians-of-exo based on her moodboard way back some months ago! It has since been removed and launched me into wanting to write an interwoven AU based in Medieval era with her, so embarking on that adventure has been really fun and adventurous! a creation you’re really proud of: Hm, literally without turning this into a gush-fest about Allotrope, I’d say... the universe of our collab series, An Adventurer’s Guide to Romance. It might not seem like it but making nine timelines connect and overlap is hard. It only gets harder to entertain and write something new and fun without getting repetitive- especially when writing the same situation from another character’s perspective. I’m proud of how well it has gone so far and I can guarantee to you that’s why it takes so long to write each one after the next- I have to go back and reread and follow timelines and stuff to make sure I’m at the correct point in time of the story! a new style you tried this year and a gifset/fic that uses it: Uhh... I don’t have anything like that. I suppose you could say for style, that would be the series mentioned above that I collab on with @guardians-of-exo. I had read the entirety of Welcome to the Exodus Mall, an amazing and brilliantly colorful series by a writer I admire, @yehet-me-up. I was so blown away by the way she weaves everything together and felt inspired to write something in that fun kind of interwoven space because how freaking cool is a bunch of backstory and from characters you love when their arc is over??? a creation that took you forever: Ohoho, does it count if it is not over...? I have four creations that have been WIPs all year. One is Heat Seekers, a Chanyeol x f.reader set in a futuristic/dystopian AU, a really super personal piece for Yoongi called Desiderium, a fluffy and domestic Baekhyun piece that I can only write when I am in a very specific and soft mood, and lastly is my multi-chaptered Namjoon x f.reader Magic AU, Moonchild (which will probably get a rewrite). your creation that received the most notes this year: Without a doubt that would be Allotrope chapter 2, with 280 notes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for every single one, but I would probably be a lot more discouraged by the perpetual decrease in notes as the story progressed if I didn’t absolutely find this story loving and wonderful and if I were not at peace being proud how honored I am to have been able to write it for Junmyeon. a creation you think deserved more notes: This is a cringe-worthy question. But I suppose, if I could wish for it, it would have been that the Allotrope chapter 7 would have received a bit more notes. NOT for the fact that I feel like it wasn’t well-loved, but the anxiety in me wants to make sure it was seen by the people who care to have read it through and I feel like its current count isn’t accurate enough to reflect that wish. I want people to know how the couple ended the story. Really, I know the two biggest fans of it, @jenmyeons and @kyungseokie read it more than once (I love you both thank you so much always), and that they love it so much. I just want to be sure everyone who ever gave me support and liked this story has had a chance to read its ending. <3 a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it: ASLKDHALSLKFG Stray Kids because Changbin and Chan choose violence daily, but I haven’t had a chance to write anything for it yet. Although, I’ve had plenty of time to read things for them and lemme just say, bless you Skz fanfic writers. MVPs, all of them. Perhaps one day when I can’t contain myself anymore I’ll write something, ha! a creation you made that breaks your heart: Without a doubt, Allotrope. Breaks it down into tiny pieces and builds it back together again over and over. Also more recent, the quick and dirty Estiferous, all because of its cause for inspiration that was the fake scandal that dragged Chanyeol through the mud. dearest @saebyeog-i and I were in a fucking FIT. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever written but it was still heartbreaking to thinking about it and then to write it. JUST LOVE HIM. a ‘simple’ creation that you really love: THIS IS EASY- Ameliorate! This sweet domestic fluff fic I wrote for @kyungseokie when she was not quite feeling so well and I had just finished writing Saccharine for AAGTR after watching 100 Days My Prince so I was hella in my Ksoo feels. a creation that was inspired by another one: This one isn’t writing lmao, it’s this portrait drawing I did of Chanyeol, which was inspired by his photos for 1 Billion Views, so technically inspired by another work, just, still not of the writing variety. a favorite creation made by someone else: Ooh for sure there are several, even if not written this year! Welcome to the Exodus Mall series by @yehet-me-up as mentioned above, Fortune Favors the Brave and Meminerunt Omnia Amantes by @j-pping,  The War by @guardians-of-exo. Bitter Brews by @saebyeog-i (I love you and like it’s your fault, even without this adorable story, that I have a big fat crush on Johnny). Transference by @dark-muse-iris that I scream about whenever I can, Void and other works (like Gwanghae Flow) by @btssavedmylifeblr, literally anything and everything (but especially Light Sakura) by @yeoldontknow, I’ll be Yours by @jiminbbyboy The Rich Man’s Crochet Club by @kpopfanfictrash along with every other work she’s written. Sweeter Than Sweet by @gimmesumsuga, Wanted (and Tentacledipity of the same AU) by @jincherie, and all things written by @jenmyeons (but extra love for Fine Dining Chanyeol and The Dating Problem Junmyeon, omg.) and @kyungseokie (especially Dichotomy and the following Car Je T’aime and Clair de Lune (I am a sucker for her Baekhyun okay T~T)). literally so many others, oof. some of your favorite content creators of the year: See above. uwu Enjoy the last few days of 2020 and ring in a safe, healthy and happy New Year for 2021, everyone. Love you! <3

[joopiterjoon]

content creator year in review

(I would like to remind everyone that I created a themed one of these last year and ONLY ONE PERSON did it. I’m salty.)

tagged by the lovely @nightowls388, @honeymoonjin @honeyj00ns happy new year~

first creation and most recent creation of 2020: I was in the middle of writing Converse High, one of my all-time favorite stories, and posted Chapter 4.

I just posted Seoked in Sweetness: Happy Holidays.

one of your favorite creations from 2020: Even though it tanked, I had so much fun trying to write like a fairytale would be written for The Benevolent, The Beloved

a creation you’re really proud of: Not much of a surprise-- Hooked. That mammoth, shitstorm of a fic where y’all got to read about me working through my problems. If so many people had not commented and cheered me on, I would not have finished it.

a creation that took you forever: Again, Hooked. I wrote it as a oneshot in August 2019 and finished it in October 2020. It went on three hiatuses. Had three different betareaders. And it is finally done.

a creation from 2020 that received the most notes: Jungkook’s Sexploration chapter, Dickin’ Around. I assumed this would happen as a Jungkook piece, but I didn’t expect the love and appreciation for how I wrote him! It encouraged me to write more for him.

a creation you think deserved more notes: I don’t have many expectations and tend to negotiate failure with myself. I’ve already mentioned Benevolent, Beloved. Overall, I wish MxM readers hadn’t left this site (for reasons from homophobic anons to microaggressions to ao3 just being amazing)

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it: Chungha! My only WLW piece is something I wrote a bit tipsy one night after watching her vlives, Take a Break

a creation you made that breaks your heart: Oh gosh, I don’t really write these. A story I’m working on, HOME, will break my heart.

a ‘simple’ creation that you really love: I had a lot of fun writing athedrabble In My Next Life. Everyone’s responses made me laugh because I did not mean for it to be so deep!

a creation that was inspired by another one:  The Converse High drabbles are technically a collection called Outro: Love is Not Over on ao3.

a favorite creation created by someone else: When I saw this question on the post, I put it off because there were too many! So instead, I’m gonna link my recs tumblr, which I had to create to keep track of my reading list and the wonderful works I’ve read @maxreadsmaybe

some of your favorite content creators from the year:

Okay so this says SOME so I’m going to list some but there are a lot of amazing people

@seoulphiles I love Crystal’s... moodboards? Is that what they are called? They give me inspo all the time

@wwilloww I love Willow as a writer and a person. Her work can be chaotic, poetic, sultry, breath-taking... it’s got everything... when I remember to read it...

@btsaudge Audrey is the bts content queen. She’s got all the HD photos immediately, reblogs great content, and writes great fanfics! I don’t know if she knows this, but I use her fics as a “gateway” to fanfiction for my BTS friends because she has a lot of short pieces that vary in scenario and capture the members well

@honeymoonjin who knows if she is on or off tumblr this week ;P but Sora always has great work with incredible universes. Now that I get to brainstorm with her, I can’t believe how quickly she develops depth in her work.

@joonsgalore if you are a namjoon stan, even BEFORE rayan changed her username, this is the blog to see

There are lots of people on here I talk to and haven’t mentioned, and there are lots of new creators I really need to check out! I feel like it is a copout to list a bunch of people without saying why I like them, so I won’t do that, but eventually I will get around to appreciating all of you with my backlog of fic reviews.

[[I follow a lot of non-writing content on twitter and instagram. check my followers on twitter @_jupiterjoon to find a lot of amazing fanartists!]]

and for good measure, another couple more creations of yours that you love: 

A Little Tied Up | Spanked | The Booth | Transit in Transition | olive me (loves olive you)

tagging: I don’t know if people want to do this now that the new year has passed, and a lot of people have been tagged, but feel free to participate!

[darkpoisonouslove]

30 Days of Fanfic (Days 1-10)

I saw this and thought it could be fun but since I was already a few days behind and a little all over the place, I decided to do them in batches of 10 questions. So here are the first ten days!

Day 1 - How did you get into fanfic?

- How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

I don’t really remember how I got into fic anymore. It was my best friend that dragged me into it and I just... started reading?

The first fandom I wrote for was PJO. I have always loved Greek mythology so I just decided to... go for it. I never finished that fic, though (probably for the best as the ideas were awesome but the execution - not so much)

Day 2 - What fandoms have you written in?

- Name the fandoms you’ve written in, how much you’ve written in those fandoms, and if you still write in them.

That one isn’t so hard as I haven’t written in a lot of fandoms. Here are the ones that I have written in (in order of joining):

Once Upon a Time - 41 fanfics (I do have one collection that I need to finish in this fandom and tons of ideas but while I haven’t officially left the fandom and abandoned the fics, I am not really active there anymore. Which is a damn shame considering how many things I had planned for it. I don’t really feel the inspiration currently, though, but I haven’t given up on it completely.)

Fairy Tail - 8 fanfics (I mostly join any of the annual weeks for different ships in this fandom. I do have some ideas but I haven’t found the motivation for them yet. Even if a few of them were really cool and I loved them a lot.)

Winx Club - 86 fanfics (This one is my most active fandom currently. I do still write in it and I hope that will hold true for the foreseeable future as well.)

Lucifer - 1 fanfic (that was more of an experiment and I don’t really plan on writing more there)

Day 3 - Favorite characters?

- For each of the fandoms you have written in, what were/are your favorite characters to write? Why were these characters your favorite? (Can be main, side, established, or original!)

Um, okay. Let’s see.

Once Upon a Time - Regina Mills was my favorite character to write because I was mostly interested in her and I could see a lot of similarities between us. I wanted to explore more of her and her relationships with the other characters.

Fairy Tail - I don’t think I really had a favorite character to write here. They were all sort of... hard to get? And I haven’t written nearly enough of anyone to be able to pick a favorite.

Winx Club - I want to say Griffin but I think I might love writing Valtor just a tad bit more. At least at the moment. Maybe it is that he is more emotional and impulsive and I can get behind that and know how to write it? I also related a lot with some things about him and other times it is simply fun to write him when he is being an asshole. But there’s also a lot of emotional stuff to explore there. I don’t really know. I just love writing him.

Lucifer - Uhh... I only really wrote two characters from there and from them Chloe Decker was certainly the one that was easier so I chose to write my only fic from her PoV. I love the characters on the show but I don’t think I get them enough to write them that well yet so I am not pushing to do it.

Day 4 - Muse/special character?

- Do you have a ‘muse’ character(s), that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn’t about them? Who are they, and why did that character(s) became your muse? Are they a canon character or an OC?

Did I mention Valtor? Man, talk about trying to write something that he doesn’t sneak in. The few fics that I was actually focusing on other characters didn’t suffer from this but a fic that has Griffin inevitably brings out the need to at least mention Valtor in it as well. I have had to actively restrain myself from bringing him in a couple of times when I really wanted to write about anything else other than their relationship. I guess that is my muse. XD Not one of them separately but the two of them together. I am having all the feelings about them. Let’s leave it off here because I will get too many feelings otherwise.

Day 5 - Envisioning characters?

- Do you have techniques you use to help you visualise a character, such as picrews, faceclaims, moodboards, or fanart? Have you commissioned or created art to go with your fics, or provided references (picrews, faceclaims etc) for readers or yourself?

I am the worst at envisioning characters. I think it might be because I am trying to get in the mindset of the character so if I am in their head, I can’t see their appearance. (Maybe I should try writing with a mirror nearby. XD) I do make aesthetics but their purpose isn’t that much to help me envision the characters. I mostly avoid the envisioning part by focusing on emotional things and if I absolutely have to write descriptions, I try to keep it minimalistic. I have done sort of a picrew thing for my original characters but not for any fandom I’m in. A friend of mine made an illustration for one of my fics but it was after I wrote it and she actually used what I had managed to envision already to paint the thing. Envisioning characters is not my strength and I don’t even know how I function as a writer despite that.

Day 6 - Gender Preference?

- When you write, do you have a gender preference for your protagonist and/or the rest of the cast? Is it the same or different from your own gender? Do you feel your own gender is well represented, and how do you go about accurately portraying genders different from your own?

I couldn’t care less for the protagonist’s gender. I write the story from the PoV that is best for it. I try to focus on the personality of the character rather than on any other characteristics.

Day 7 - Fic affecting your view of a character?

- Have you ever had a fic you’ve written change your opinion of a character? Or has a fic you’ve read changed your opinion on a character?

Probably only... every fic I’ve ever written? I mean, as you write, your vision on the characters develops and, essentially, changes. There have certainly been fics that have made me reflect more or in a different way on an aspect of a character and have led me to change my view of that character in a way. It is kind of the point of being in a fandom and reading other people’s fics, I’d say.

Day 8 - OCs

- Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they’re not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.

I only write OCs when the story demands it as it demands positions that the existing characters can’t fill for whatever reason. Or when the person has existed in canon but was never introduced on screen (as in someone’s parents that we never saw). I am not a fan of OCs because I go to fanfiction for the characters I already know and love. If I wanted completely new characters that I am unfamiliar with, I would turn to original fiction. I was fascinated with the characters I saw on the screen/in the book and I want to know more about them and the relationships between them. I am not interested in what OCs can be made in that world.

Day 9 - Favorite pairings and your comfort zone

- What are your favorite pairings to write in your fandoms? Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn’t write, or a pairing you didn’t like, and found you could?

I’m just gonna talk about Winx Club because it is my only truly active fandom.

Griffin x Valtor is my OTP. I love them to death and have so many ideas about them.

Now as for pairing that I like but can’t write, I don’t think I have ever encountered such. In this fandom at least. (Maybe in Lucifer Deckerstar is a bit too hard to nail.)

Pairing that I don’t like but can (kinda) write must be Icy x Valtor which I did write on request and that particular concept was actually very fun to work with. I wouldn’t say it has “converted“ me or something, however.

Generally, I stick to what I like. I might try my hand at writing a pairing that I am curious about but I don’t like to waste my time on ships I don’t like.

Day 10 - Writer's block and procrastination

- Have you ever experienced writer's block or an impeded ability to write? How do you tackle a loss of motivation or executive function, and/or how does procrastination hinder (or help) you?

I don’t really think I’ve had writer’s block once I started writing consistently and not once every two months. I have had certain ideas that needed more time to get ready for being written but I never really stopped writing. I have had days when I was too mentally exhausted to write but the solution to that was to just step away for a while and let my brain rest. The problem wasn’t truly in the writing so with some time to recharge my batteries, I was back on track.

I mostly force myself through loss of motivation telling myself that I have too many awesome ideas that I will never be able to write if I don’t just get to it. And I always work on what I am feeling like tackling right now. Even if it isn’t necessarily what I would’ve wanted to work on.

Executive dysfunction can be a bitch. It is hard to get past it and I don’t think I really know how I do it.

Procrastination is probably the hill I will die on because I am too nervous to get to the next one. I don’t really have a tried-and-true solution for it as I am usually aware that I am procrastinating and yet, I can’t stop doing it and make myself be productive. Usually what gets me to drop it and start working is the itch to write and the feeling that I will literally explode if I don’t write. So I think it is that the desire to just write something whatever that may be defeats the fear that it will suck and I finally manage to get to it. I am just too excited about my projects sometimes. XD

[lovely-tothe-bone]

Everlark Self Interview

I answered almost every single question so it’s kind of long because I’m a thorough person. @b-boop5 requested to hear about Feast Your Eyes but Savvy ran out of time and asked me to do it.

Since Feast Your Eyes is a multi author fic based on a prompt from @everlarkficexchange it required brainstorming and a pretty loose outline was done. Personally I've found like @hutchhitched that each of my stories has a unique voice and forms in a different way.

FYE was beta'd by the two who hadn't written the chapter, it sort of required it since we did alot of it all at once and some of the chapters ended up including scenes written by two of us, plus there's a lot of details. It was pretty casual though.

I wrote all over the place which wasn't easy because noise can be very distracting for me. At the time I was taking a course for a certification plus my baby was only about 5 months. I do not enjoy writing on my phone so I used my laptop mainly but I had to be ready to do it any free chance I got. My other stories mostly get written down pen and paper with a few scenes or a plot and if it's multi chap I do an outline.

For me I've found that making a playlist and having moodboards really help me. With The Sun Will Rise I listened to the playlist pretty much the entire time I was writing. Some other stories (yes I have several that are unpublished) I can't have any noise. With FYE I listened to the playlist before or I would take a break from the scene and listen to get some inspiration. The scene at the karaoke bar when Katniss sings for the first time, I would play parts of the song and then go back and replay that part again. I always have a visceral reaction to that song, it's an incredible piece lyrically and instrumentally and Florence's voice is perfection. I've always felt it's an Everlark song and @ra3lynn3 had already mentioned Florence as her voice cast for Katniss so when I started making a list of songs to use it was at the top of the list. Anyway, I wanted to capture the emotions and reactions that someone who is utterly bewitched by another would have hearing, basically an adult translation of 5 year old Peeta hearing Katniss sing for the first time. So I spent a lot of time playing/pausing then writing to achieve that.

Since FYE was for EFE we basically had to start posting pretty quickly. The first 4 chapters were submitted to EFE and then we updated fairly regularly other than a couple chapters taking a little longer. It's been a year since our last update which none of us wanted. I'm definitely not going to give a timeline for an update because I disappointed myself twice already and now that I started getting back into it I'm sick. I would love to have it complete by the end of the year but I'm not sure if that's realistic. 

For the most part the storyline has stayed true to our original ideas. Just a couple minor tweaks and approaching one situation differently than planned and what the ending scene looks like. Which I think is important, if something isn't working don't try to force it. The point of writing fanfiction is to have fun. Your story should be something you love. Which isn't easy with a multi author work. I think we got lucky that we came into it cold, didn't know each other super well but basically clicked and were on the same wavelength on who Katniss and Peeta were in this universe. The things that changed were either super minor adjustments for consistency or needed to be altered to fit the tone of the story as it's told from each writers POV. 

My first scene was the hardest to write, chapter 2, because it was my first time writing fanfiction. Other than my own personal writing I hadn't written anything in story form in at least a decade and certainly not for others entertainment. After reading hundreds of fanfiction stories it's pretty scary to write with two other people who are already established. Looking back I would not recommend a multi author as your first step into fanfiction.

My favorite part is the meet ugly. I felt very clever coming up with that descriptor for it. I feel like I really acheived what I had in mind, Katniss being ridiculously challenging and Peeta outwardly keeping his calm and playfully bantering with her attempting to put her at ease and because he is insanely attracted to her. I think the fun and intensity and chemistry came across really well. As the last commenter put it, that's not a meet ugly that's a meet awesome!

A little bit of Peeta's history and a lot of Katniss' history came from a couple of our lives. We wanted to mirror the roughness of their canon lives without it being exactly replicated and that was something a couple of us could really speak to in terms of how we grew up. For me there's always an element of what I have lived in the stories I write. 

There's nothing I want to rewrite but I do wish I could have finished out the karaoke scene on my own. Savvy did a wonderful job stepping in when I was just tapped out emotionally. I actually had to take a break from reading fanfiction for a little bit because the happiness and love was just making me depressed about my own life. I couldn't get myself to write about crushes and romance.

So far I find everyone hard to write but I think with more experience I'll find out who I'm most comfortable with. I relate to Katniss and Peeta both in different ways but it's still scary to translate that into writing because you're worried about living up to keeping them in character. I feel alot of pressure to get Katniss right, more so in canon which I swore I'd never write canon and then I wrote The Sun Will Rise.

I was absolutely floored at the response that FYE received. It still amazes me to this day. I was truly in shock at how much so many people enjoyed it. The kudos, hits, comments continued to roll in at a pretty regular pace up until recently which I understand since it's been a year. But those first few months even after the last update I would constantly get email notifications. The response on EFE submissions was amazing as well but still didn't prepare me for the response on AO3. We only had one somewhat negative comment, on the karaoke scene, which upset me greatly because it came across that they were accusing me of copying a scene from a well known fic in the fandom. I don't think I was rude in my reply but I was very honest. I spent a lot of time deciding what that scene would look like. I even asked around to find other fics with karaoke scenes because I wanted it to be completely different from any others that were out there. 

ICYMI we had three visual posts we shared. There may be more to come but I'm not sure.

| . || . |||

[purpleyin]

Fic Writer’s (& Moodboard Maker's) Year In Review - 2019

 Having a go at this again even though I'm months late.

General fic stats for 2019

 Word count on AO3: 

127,878 says Ao3 but I'm not sure how it calculates that. 

My own figures suggest I only posted 86,632 (it'd be a bit more for moodboards but not by more than a few thousand).

Average Words Per Story:

 3609

Number of fics on AO3:

 24 fics (also 8 fanmixes, 1 meta, 1 vid and 217 moodboards)

Fandoms written for:

 The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Primeval, Teen Wolf and Harry Potter.

+ for moodboards:

 (and ficlets in some cases) also – Fringe, Glee, Good Omens, Supergirl, Batwoman, Buffy, Uncharted, BBC Sherlock, Stranger Things, iZombie, The 4400 and OUAT. 

Total Words Written:

 164,175 – I wasn't the best at keeping track but this is my estimate. Same as in 2018, I seem to have written about twice what I posted. I need to get in the habit of finishing stories... 

Some moodboard stats, out of 217 moodboards:

43 had a ficlet or story blurb with them 40 were non-Arrowverse29 Polyam51 Femslash28 Slash33 Het76 Gen

Shortest Story:

  Not counting any moodboard ficlets it would be the 1st chapter of Potential Energy (for my Hartmon drabbles) "Just For Context" at 304 words. I really want to do more short fic for my favourite pairings, makes it more likely I'll finish them.

Longest Story:

 “I Can Only Stare” which I added another 12k to this year. Longest story fully completed this year was “Simply Things Steady In My Heart” though, at 7697, my ensemble gen piece for DCTVGen Valentine's that I was quite proud of since it was the first time writing a lot of those characters.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? 

Slightly less than I expected based on 2018 – my aim was 208,000 words written and also that much posted - but then 2019 was not a good year for me, so in that regard I think I did more than I might expect based on circumstances. I definitely wrote less on certain fics mind you. I really hoped to get ICOS finished in 2019 and thought I'd do more on “Why Should I Trust You” too.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write most? 

Pairing: Answering this for moodboards too, that was definitely Snowest (with Snowbarry and Hartmon following closely behind).

For fics... most was Snowbarry at about 20k, followed closely by Savisnow at 17k and then Snowestallen at 12k. I was pleased I created more for Hartmon and for Coldwestallen this year, as well as a little bit for Westhallen.

Genre:  Angst with a happy ending for fics  I think? And AUs for moodboards since that's what most play around in.

Fandom: Definitely The Flash.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? 

Pairing: Olivarry. Not because of any lack of liking it but because I was convinced I couldn't write Oliver but I tried anyhow and managed a ficlet. Similarly for Sterek even though I only did a moodboard, but it was more than I'd previously managed or thought I could do. Similarly with Coldflash too (see a pattern...) but I'm getting better at writing Len. Sometimes it really pays to just try.

Fandom: In terms of fic, Harry Potter, because I didn't think I had any inspiration for it anymore but I wrote a small poem "Almost Anything" that I initially had anon for it and also a few moodboards. For moodboards, Batwoman because I didn't know about it at the start of the year.

Genre: Maybe the meta I posted. I hadn't considered posting that on AO3 before but I decided to because I wanted to test out an rss bot for Fringe fanworks on the discord server I set up and with postings so rare in the fandom it made most sense to find something to post myself to test that with (the first bot didn't work out but someone liked the meta being posted). Moodboard wise I did a couple of more adult themed moodboards, only one of which got posted so far.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

I think mainly the risks were in writing new pairings, especially in writing Coldwestallen for the rarepairswap. But also it felt risky posting a very dark fic chapter (Deserve Your Silence) because I wasn't sure anyone else would enjoy that but I was wrong there.

For moodboards I started off the year with the ambitious plan of 31 days of Snowest and other than being a bit behind on a few near the end I did manage it overall. Didn't manage so well with a board a day planned for Femslash February (only 17) and Multiamory March I think I did about 19. I surprised myself with how many I'd made overall for the year but I do find it relaxing and really enjoy the visual storytelling.

Do you have any fanfic or general writing goals for the new year? 

Going to try the same goal as last year to post as much as I write, though I expect most of the posted will be stuff I wrote in previous years. Probably only aim to write/post 156k this year though. 

I also want to focus at least as much on some of my older fandoms (Sherlock, Fringe, SGA and Uncharted) and get a few WIPS posted even if maybe no one will read them.

I want to make good progress on my (now 3) bingocards for Bad Things Happen Bingo, DCTVGen Bingo and new Hartmon Bingo. 

Moodboard goals I have a few – currently want to do more of the Femslash boards I didn't get to in February, as well as Multiamory March boards. Also intending to have a gen focus in April and using May to focus on moodboards that have been in progress for way too long.

From the past year of writing, what was your...

Best story of this year:

Not sure how to judge best but I'd go for “Tell Me What Were We Meant To Be” which was my Snowbarry Elementary AU. I loved blending the two settings and I loved how it turned out and other people loved it too. :)

For moodboards, maybe Thallen - Fake relationship for an investigation. I so wished I could have written the fic to go with it, it was mostly so clear in my head but I didn't have time.

Most popular story of this year (by kudos): 

For fic Ao3 says “Why Should I Trust You” and “I Can Only Stare” are top with 139 and 117 kudos but those were both started before 2019 and I think it includes older kudos. My most popular 2019 fic was one of my shortest, my 2nd Coldflash ficlet "Burden of Proof" that got 92 kudos.

Sterek mystery AU was my most popular moodboard at 166 notes. I was just wow at how many as most of my moodboards are around 30 to 50 notes.

Personal favorite: 

"Don't You See (What Could Be)" a Snowbarry Lust for love AU because it has humour and angst and complexity.

For moodboards, my fav is probably Bisexual Eddie Thawne. Partly because Eddie and nobody can pry this headcanon outta my hands. Probably also because of the cinnamon roll visual joke.

My favourite fic to write: 

One I haven't finished/posted yet, oops. Out of the posted ones I found this SB memory issues fic "To See You As You Are" pretty fun due to seeing Caitlin unburdened and carefree for a bit.

For the imagery that was most fun to play around with, my SB role reversal summer and winter spirits with ficlet to go with it. It wasn't that popular but I love the colours and felt really proud of the scenario created.

Most fun to write: 

"A Force To Be Reckoned With" because Helen Cutter is always fun to write.

Moodboard most fun to make Coldwestallen White Collar AU. :D 

Story with the single sexiest moment: 

One that's PWP and on a secondary account so no link to that... In which case I think this was the only smut I wrote on my main account was Saivsnow ch1 of "Trust & Other Negotiations" so is sexiest by default.

Moodboardwise my Snowestallen BDSM board for Barry Allen week.

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story: 

I wasn't sure I have one like that but thinking more on it "Deserve Your Silence" maybe considering the theme of wanting to be free of suffering via any means. My hinted Hartmon other Earth tragic fic “Not Precisely A World Away” has Cisco going a very dark place so maybe that fits.

For Moodboards there's 3 contenders. Dark!Oliver/Felicity/Savitar, Savitar/Cobalt Blue!Eddie or Dark!Eddie as Godspeed. 

Most challenging to write: 

I think "We'll Get There Sometime" Coldwestallen fic because Len POV is hard. I'm verbose and Len is a less is more character.

Also on moodboards my Snowest Pacific Rim AU because of the manips involved.

Funniest fic: 

I'm not sure my moodboards are very funny but closest is the pan joke on Pansexual!Kara.

For fic, the Lust for Love AU fic mentioned before, but I can not honestly claim credit since the funniest lines are taken from the original film.

Fluffiest fic: 

Probably my Hartmon ficlet "Just For Context" - I can do cute!

Moodboards I do more fluff than with fic but it's hard to measure. I think Snowest New Year's?

Saddest fic: 

Deserve Your Silence again. Or "Almost Anything" the regretful Draco poem. In Flash fic "Words are necessary evils" for Iris POV on Savitar and how the speedforce/duty Barry feels keeps affecting her. 

On moodboards, maybe the one for OUAT Killian Jones. 

Fic I’m proudest of writing:

 "Lead You Home" it was challenging getting the plot and pseudo science parts well enough that timey wimey BS made rough sense. Also emotionally getting that character turn around was difficult. The speedforce characterisation was a further argh what am I doing but it was so worth it. I feel proudest of how it turned out and I knew it would never have much readership but the person I wrote it for enjoyed so there's that.

Also "

Would You Fight The Stars

" which was dear to my heart as a view into canon Hartley's downfall. There's so much to unpack with how Eowells treats Hartley and Cisco as employees, and as pawns pitted against each other.

In terms of moodboards, I felt so pleased with how my lyrical Sterek board turned out, though it was nowhere near as popular as the mystery AU for the same pairing.

Also honorable mention for my Hartley joins Team Flashboard/ficlet.

Least popular fic: 

My Helen whump ficlet mentioned earlier, because she isn't a popular character and the fandom is old so.

I thought least popular moodboard would be The 4400 one with 2 notes but Eddie/Caitlin is only 2 as well and there's a couple with just the 1 note.

1) Joyce Byers moodboard. Figure it's because I'm not really in the fandom and maybe it doesn't show up in tags.

2) My Christina McGee board is also 1 note but she herself is underappreciated too.

 I have 3 different fanmixes with 0 kudos too (Savifrost, SavIris and Savisnow, there's certainly a pattern there). Fanmixes rarely get much feedback though.

Biggest disappointment: 

Nothing? I don't post things I'm not at least reasonably happy with. There were a few things I hoped for more kudos/comments on but rarepairs be like that.

General writing reflections: 

Two thirds of my creations are for events or requests. I maybe should focus more on just creating without those, even though they are helpful motivators at times. Less deadlines, less stress. I'd already figured out I should not sign up to big bangs for writing or too many exchanges per year anyhow.

Writers You Should Read: 

Anything by @ttinycourageous (AO3:define_serenity) or @kitkatt0430 (AO3:kitkatt0430). Also @kleptoandpyro (AO3:kleptoandpyro) and @sophiainspace (AO3:SophiaCatherine) do great stuff. There's so many more fab writers about though, so I am otherwise just gonna point to my bookmarks again here.

Favorite character to write: 

Yet again it's Savitar but I did figure out why this year. The tldr; is... grappling with writing anger when socialised as AFAB to not show anger and catharsis at crap hands of fate.

Favorite opening lines: Not many it turns out.

When he meets Caitlin Snow, she is hunched over a microscope in Harrison Wells' living room, a makeshift lab setup sprawled across several sturdy tables. (Tell Me What Were We Meant To Be)

Favorite closing lines:

He won't let himself think of how many things he is capable that wouldn't leave a mark, at least not on him.

And he can't see past his plentiful excuses to the real reason: relief at continuing his path of least resistance towards its inevitable conclusion

.

(both from different drabbles on

Julian Albert shorts

)

Trusting in them, he relaxes into their embrace in a way he hasn't ever before. (We'll Get There Sometime)

Other favorite lines: 

He didn't see how much it was he didn't want to be a burden like he'd felt he might be, how much it was a comfort to him as their lives changed drastically.

Times change; this feeling he has, as he steeps his thoughts in a sinkful of crockery and cutlery, doesn't.

Those she missed more because as time went on she had nothing left of the people they left behind too.

Of all the things Len stole, stealing away himself was the quickest, the hardest, the most harrowing because what he took was priceless and irreplaceable

A new taste, like a new line read, a new page in her story that's for her alone.

No matter where else he belongs in his life, he will always belong here in a timeless fashion – as Ray and Nate would say, one does not simply stop being a Legend.

(all from different character segements of "

Simple Things Steady In My Heart

")

Those thoughts were the precursors to his creation, the devaluation of Barry Allen's life in the face of everyone else who could live and live fully, unlike him. (I Treat You Wrong)

For every moment he feels like his warmth is infectious enough to melt her a little, there is always another push back – an equal and opposite reaction.

Still, it's so bizarre compared to how he'd dreamt this moment would be, but so much better, because those were idle dreams and this is really her, really into him

. (both from "

Tell Me What Were We Meant To Be

")

All the words muttered across timelines and universes, as one of them kisses another, merging into near meaningless murmurs. (Burden of Proof)

“Lucky we heal in a flash then, or a frost,” he teases and she playfully swats his arm at the joke. (To See You As You Are)

There's anger to be sure, but deeper there is a fear hidden - the stomach tightening clutch of disappointment, a feeling so unfamiliar after eons that he can't name it anymore.

"Oh, my beautiful boy, if you're saying that you don't understand,” she says with a mournful shake of her head, “That's like asking to be saved from gravity.

(both from "

Lead You Home

")

Even a rhyming verse - practically a spell - pressed close to her ear like a secret delivered just for her. (spirits of summer and winter ficlet)

At best, they've had to reforge a friendship, hammer it out into something new and tenuous.

(

Trust & Other Negotiations

)

The lie is so carefully constructed – from the faded postcard on the pin-board sent by her best friend who moved away when she was 13, to the My Little Pony she knows is in a box in the top of the closet that would now be collectible if not for the bite mark from the neighbors dog, and the quilt spread over the bed with patches of her old clothes sewn in - she doesn't want to tear the fabrication down yet because she has nothing to replace it with.

(

Elements of Belonging

)

There are no answers, just infuriatingly soft smiles from a woman who is not a woman, not a person, who is not his mother but he follows anyway, with his own matching smile that strikes new fear in her heart.

(

Words Are Necessary Evil

s)

And some favourite moodboards...

Rip Hunter

Molly/Mary

Barry/Cisco role reversal

Barry/Caitlin scifi horror

Nina Sharpe

Caitlin/Iris criminal AU

Caitlin/Iris artist AU

Caitlin/Iris Coldflash AU

Caitin/Iris Fifth Element AU

Caitlin/Iris valentine's date

Caitlin/Iris HP AU

Savitar/Frost Khione/Poseidon

Savitar/Frost/Reverb

Barry/Hartley/Cisco

Sara/Kendra

Barry & Julian friendship

Barry & Kara friendship

Seblaine moviestar accidentally married AU 

Barry/Caitlin college Halloween AU

transgender Cisco Ramon

Cisco/Hartley mobster AU

Cisco/Hartley Beauty & the Beast AU

[artificialqueens]

How To Motivate, Encourage, and Inspire Writers - A Masterpost

Hey guys! I am reposting this guide because it got mysteriously deleted. This version includes some new additions and advice for readers.

This is meant to be a guide to help people give valuable, inspiring feedback, as well as how to send in prompts and requests that are more likely to be used. Remember that these are simply suggestions designed to help YOU as a reader get more of what you want. <3

Please let me know if you have anything to add, as this post was a collaborative effort and it can only get better with more input.  

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What Readers Can Do

1. Like and reblog the stories you enjoy. Fanfic authors don’t get paid. Their only “currency” is notes and feedback. Seeing the notes climb, as silly as it may seem, is a huge motivator to write more. If you are shy about using your main blog for this, you can always create a sideblog and reblog the fic you like there. Authors will notice this and it’s also a great record when you want to go back to fic that you enjoy!

2. Positive feedback! A simple “I love this” or “I can’t wait for more” is great if that’s all you have to say, as well as general writer appreciation, but even better...

3. Comment with specifics. What did you like about the story or writing style? You can talk about the plot itself, characterization, dialogue, the writer’s voice or sense of humor, how the story made you feel, what you’d like to see more of...anything, even the smallest detail, that made you enjoy reading it. Nothing is more motivating for a writer than knowing that their hard work is appreciated.

Some examples of great comments with places to fill in the blanks with specifics. Feel free to use all or part of these as templates when you want to send a comment but you’re not sure where to begin:

[Author Name] - your last fic was so [complimentary adjective]! You really [description of something they did well]. Can’t wait for your next [story/chapter].

[Author Name] - I love [Title] so much! I especially love [part you enjoyed].

I hope we get more of [Title] from [Author Name]. It is [complimentary adjective].

Just read [Title] and [exclamation]! I am [emotion or state of mind].

I really loved [Title] by [Author Name]! My favorite part was probably [specific impactful theme or moment in fic], because it really made me feel [emotional response].

I am [emotion or state of mind] over [Title] by [Author Name]. It was so [descriptive adjective] when [describe moment in story].

Some more examples of really great, detailed, inspiring comments.

4. Start an actual dialogue with an author. As mentioned above, reblogging with comments (even just in the tags) is great. You can also send asks directly to their blogs, DM them, or send additional asks when they respond. Authors may have questions for you, and being able to interact can easily spark something or help them find direction where they were stuck. You can find a list of authors’ sideblogs here if you want to send messages directly to them.

5. Direct requests and prompts to specific writers who you enjoy. Start with why you like them and then explain your idea or request. By doing that, they will start off knowing that they are appreciated, making them way more likely to get excited by your suggestion. Try to phrase things in an open-ended and positive way. “I’d love to see how you would handle [prompt situation/pairing/suggestion]” or “here’s an idea, I think you could do something really cool with it.” The more detailed and supportive your prompt is, the more likely it is that someone will get excited and inspired by it. If your request is for “more” of something that exists, include a reason why you like that story, author, etc. If your request is for something different, talk about something else you liked and why.

Examples of how to send in requests and prompts to specific writers, or include a compliment:

[Author Name(s)] is/are awesome and I would love for them to write more [ship or thing you love].

I would give anything for more [ship or request], especially if it’s similar to [Title(s)], they are my favorite!

I love [Author Name]’s style so much, and I’d be so happy if they wrote [ship/thing you want from them].

I wonder how [Author Name] or [Author Name] would handle [idea]? I would love to read that!

[Title] by [Author Name] is so [positive adjective]! It makes me really want them to try [idea] because I bet they would [motivating phrase like “kill it!”].

[Author Name] - have you ever considered writing [prompt]? [Motivating sentence like “I would die for that!”] 

I really love [ship], especially [story title(s)/author name(s)]. I would love to see one where [prompt].

6. Creating artwork, edits, moodboards, or anything inspired by a story you like. This is like, the PINNACLE for most writers. Knowing that someone connected to something you wrote enough to take time out of their day to create something inspired by your story. It’s like drugs. ART IS DRUGS PASS IT ON.

7. If you are a writer, comment on other writers’ stories! You know more than anyone how hard they worked, so please show your fellow authors some love.

Demotivators

1. Anything that sounds aggressive or demanding. You catch more flies with honey.

2. Complaining about the lack of a certain ship, ESPECIALLY if ANYTHING featuring that ship has been posted in the last month of so. Writers are reading these comments, especially if they have posted recently. Can you imagine how demoralizing it is to post a story and then 3 days later, read a comment bemoaning how there’s NOTHING from that ship, that ship is dead, etc? Like this, written about one of the most popular, enduring ships in the fandom with some of the most prolific, talented writers here:

Don’t be that anon. ^

3. Begging and whining, especially for something extremely vague - this sounds way less cute than you think, and reading something like “I will die if I don’t get more [ship]” is more annoying than inspiring. Especially if, as stated above, the thing you are dying over already exists.

4. Giving nothing at all. Most of the writers expect to at least see their work is noticed. If there are no responses at all, they can’t provide you with anything new. And worst case scenario, they lose the motivation to finish it because they think no one is interested.

Notes From Some Writers (and Readers!)

“I’m famously horrendously bad at abandoning fics but about 95% of my will to continue to keep writing is because I know other people are reading and interested that I keep writing, and I’m sure that’s how a lot of other writers operate too. We’re all fuelled by positive reinforcement, so please tell us! Oh, and btw, commenting just to get mad at lack of updates is not encouragement and is actually super irritating and stressful. Just so ya know.” - Edith

“Having an artist come to you and say ‘Hey, I was inspired by your story’ is FANTASTIC. And also encouraging because someone has taken time to create something and say ‘hey, I really liked the thing you made’. It becomes a cycle.” - Kitschy

“Take a look anywhere, on AQ or ao3 or any other platforms. You’ll see (on ao3), probably at most, 10:1 ratio for hits to kudos, alone. There are even less comments. On AQ, probably a 10:1 ratio for likes to reblogs, and the most popular fics only have a little over 100 notes period. Now, consider that it can take a writer months to be happy with a fic they submit. This takes countless hours. Fiction writers, in real life, get money for their work. We get nothing. Nothing, that is, except whatever appreciation you can give us. If we put work and our hearts and souls into something and get nothing, we question our talent, our abilities, our devotion. We refresh the pages where our works are posted constantly, hoping for some feedback, some appreciation, and most readers only read the fiction and give no feedback or appreciation whatsoever.

“All you, as a reader, have to do to make us happy is take 1 to fifteen minutes out of your day to leave a comment, send an ask, send a message to a sideblog. Leave commentary in the tags if you reblog. Any reaction at all. It is all we get for the work we put in.” - Miss Bianca

“My 2 cents I guess is just to get into a habit of acknowledging works that you like. Even for me I'll read stuff and really enjoy it but forget to comment or like it so I'm gonna work on it and I’d like everyone else do it as well. Once people get in the habit of commenting and liking it becomes second nature and with that kind of positive environment it allows writers to grow.” - MissChimKi

“Going back in time, my first work was posted two years ago, and the last comment I got was a huge thank you for writing such a good story and the emotions of that reader, it’s the kind of tiny little things that give me fuel to keep writing.” - Saiphl

“I once wrote 5000 words in a day simply because someone told me that they were reading my smut in church. So, extreme enthusiasm is awesome, but don’t feel like you have to exaggerate and say ‘this is the best thing I ever read.’ A simple ‘I am going to hell...I was in a church service reading Exposed chapter 9’ is more than enough!” - Veronica

“Something that motivates me as a writer is when readers pick out parts of my fic to say why they enjoyed them. Advice for readers would be to never think you’re complimenting too much! I’ve seen some readers cut their asks short because they don’t want to gush too much. As writers we love praise and attention, we’re like Tinkerbell really!” - Vixen

What It Can Feel Like To a Writer to Read the Asks (Inspired by @artificialeevee )

[immortalcockroach]

21 + 15 + 8!

asdfghjkl rose thank you for asking ♥️ this ended up coming out incredibly long, so i apologize in advance!

8) where do you take your inspiration from?

surprising! mostly from visual media, actually. graphics, art, moodboards, films, tv series, that kind of stuff. occasionally, music, and even more rarely, written media (fics, books, poems, similar). that’s for when i’m starting to get ideas. when i already have something written or ideas developed a bit more, then i have a moodboard on pinterest and a playlist on spotify, or i watch something that has the same mood/theme as the thing i’m writing.

15) if you write oc’s, how do you decide on their names?

i don’t usually write oc’s for fics, but i do them for my original stuff. the names depend on the characters’ background and location, but they all have a name that either sounds specific to their character or who they’re supposed to be, or the meaning is very connected. 

in other cases, most of the time, i just go ‘woah this sounds cool’ or sometimes i build a whole character because of their name and subsequently the whole story.

21  tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? what is it about them that you admire?

i love this question!! let me give my favourite fic writers a shoutout, even though i’m probably missing some too!! it’s really long but honestly these people worked hard and they really deserve it

@grumpybell‘s ideas are absolutely brilliant. i’m a huge fan. the stories themselves, the plots would be enough for me to have a whole paragraph about, but for me, the characters are where it’s at. well-developed, very true to the canon but also to the universe the fic is set in, but also very well-rounded and overall realistic. the fics just flow really nice, honestly, and i could read them for eternity. 

fic shoutout: oh darling, here’s hoping god i remember reading this red riding hood au and just... falling in love. i did. i fell in love with bellamy as the wolf and clarke’s desperation to save him, and the new take on the fairy tale, it was just absolute perfection. i keep coming to it every once in a while, honestly. it’s just magic.

@asroarke is one of those people who are just integrated into a fandom’s fanfiction. imagining t100 fanfiction with asroarke is like... imagining the sky without the stars. i think those fics were the first ones i read when i joined the fandom, and i remember one of the things i thought was how easy it was to read. everything flowed as if there was no effort needed, as if the words have always been there, just plucked and placed on a blank document. and the consistency, honestly, damn. these fics are better than probably more than half of published stuff i’ve read. 

fic shoutout: drag me down. look there’s a pattern here and it’s the mythical/legends/fairy tale aus. i present you with a retelling of little mermaid in the most beautiful, soul-wrenching way. i waited every single chapter for when i came out. i read it as soon as i saw it came out, even if i was in the middle of grabbing coffee with a friend. honestly everything by asroarke is absolutely fantastic. 

@blvke-bellamy okay look. when i saw may is just 15 i nearly fell off my chair. i’d kill to have that talent at 15. i would. look, i keep saying look, because i’m shook. but honestly, may’s characterization is brilliant. she took my faves from the 100 and managed to insert them into a different universe, and they feel so much like the original characters and not at all. the dynamics between them are so raw and so pure and so believable i cried at one particular scene in her fic. or it might be two scenes. and look, this is impressive on its own, and then knowing she’s just 15...god.

fic shoutout: step into the sun is a bellarke tangled au and honestly. i’m a slut for tangled. it’s so damn good. and this fic?? inspired by tangled?? absolutely brilliant. marvelous. 11/10. brought my fish to life. and honestly murphy is my favourite in the fic, literally one of my favourite portrayals of him in every fic i’ve ever read. i binged this. i lost sleep over this. no ragrets.

@pawprinterfanfic (i’m biased but. in top 3 fic writers ever. and i’ve been in a lot of popular fandoms.) paw manages to take a universe and make it hers. paw manages to create a universe out of nothing and make it feel more realistic than my own life. and honestly, i am reading her hunger games au right now and it’s amazing, but the best part is that i’m also reading the harry potter au which is even better and although both are masterpieces, i can see the improvement. the development of the characters, the amount of effort in planning and mapping things out, it’s marvellous. her fics just speak to me on a different level, it feels as if i’m experiencing them myself rather than reading them, and what i’m mostly in awe of is how immersed i am in those fics, especially the newer ones. i feel like it’s a rare skill to have.

fic shoutout: starry eyes and galaxy minds (we’ll be dancing on the clouds at night) which is a spider-man au, and honestly, i cried. it’s beautiful. it’s a masterpiece. but so is literally every single one of paw’s stories, so it was a really difficult choice. the harry potter one? j k rowling wishes she wrote it.

skai_heda (i don’t know their tumblr please someone help me find it). where do i begin. honestly. when i started reading the fic i put below, i was mesmerised by the writing style. it was partly in second pov which i’d usually refuse to read, but this writing style is something that belongs to gods. the characterization is amazing, it manages to fix some of the stuff in canon without actually changing it. everything just comes together naturally, and i always feel so satisfied when reading their fics. plus, the writing style again, especially in the fic below, is flawless. some people can create magic with their words, and i’m convinced i’ve just found one.

fic shoutout: everything that comes after deserves so much!! more!! attention!!! i remember reading the first two chapters and just being like...wooow. i was starstruck. i left a long ass comment. it’s so unique and so beautiful. it’s the only fic on this list written in the canon universe, and it’s one of my favourites i’ve ever read about the canon universe. it hurts. it makes you cry, and ache, and understand, and smack your head because you just want people to be happy. if i could pocket the way this fic made me feel, i would always keep it with me. (a little frustration, but a whole lotta love.)

give me a number and i’ll answer questions about writing fanfiction

just in case you’d like to see the same questions answered for non-fanfiction/non-fanfiction influence, see below!

15) if you write oc’s, how do you decide on their names?

specific example of mentioned above - a wip about teenagers who come from a rich side of town and a poor side. there’s posh names, like cedric, declan, byron and gregory, for people who are supposed to represent the posh, stuck-up class; hadley, tessa, abigail, kate for privileged people who are the ‘good guys’; and luca, oliver, han, freddie, who are from the poor side. it’s very classist so it was very important that the names represent the characters. usually, i go for the “vibe” of the name over the meaning, to be honest. 

21  tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? what is it about them that you admire?

i love this question!!

fiction: maggie stiefvater, because her raven cycle series genuinely feels like magic when i read it. the characters are brilliant. erin morgenstern, who wrote the night circus, because that novel also feels like magic. donna tart’s the secret history feels as if you’re reading a secret and the storytelling sort of reminds me of f. scott fitzgerald’s the great gatsby in a way i can’t really describe. she creates a beautiful, magnificent atmosphere and you know what the characters are doing is wrong, but you completely understand them and it makes me, as a reader, question my own moral standards. madeline miller’s the song of achilles is a beautifully written masterpiece that made me fall in love with mythology, legends and history all over again. the way she develops the characters and retells the story i’ve heard a million times is so poetic and beautiful it just resonates with me on a different level. and finally, leigh bardugo with her six of crows series that again, makes me question my morals, but shows the friendship and loyalty between people in a beautiful way. it also shows a romance that i think is one of best written i’ve read, up there for me romances from the novels/series i’ve already mentioned.

there’s a pattern - storytelling and character-building that feels almost otherworldly, very focused on emotions and character development. basically, stories that you feel like as if they were made into films without proper, detailed development, wouldn’t translate well enough to bring the world to the screen. and romances incredibly well-developed over time, that go beyond just being romances and actually show a beautiful connection.

special mention of these directors, as they have a huge influence on my writing: christopher nolan, john krasinski, quentin tarantino, m night shyamalan, steven knight, guillermo del toro, alfred hitchcock, for their storytelling and character building. also, some of these are for the suspense that seems to come naturally. i know most of these are very popular directors, but they’re popular for a reason. i could literally write an essay on each of these people, honestly. my writing is very inspired by motion pictures, i most often look up to how these directors approached some things that i have in my writing, especially themes. (this could literally be a whole essay on its own)